Public sector human resource management is the application of human resources principles to the public sector. The practice of public sector human resource management includes tasks like the recruitment of employees, the training of employees, the remuneration of employees and the ongoing evaluation of employees. It also involves the termination of underperforming employees with a view to improving the quality of employee output. Other tasks that public sector human resource management handles include such factors as labor disputes, employee diversity, sexual harassment and welfare packages.

Core functions of public sector human resource management include the recruitment of employees by arranging for interviews and other recruitment drives. It is their responsibility to instruct the employees who require further training by making arrangements, providing materials and coordinating the logistics for their training. After the training is complete, human resources will place the employees where their skills are most needed, and it will also continue evaluating the employees to make sure they are performing optimally. When the employees are not performing according to expectation, human resources may transfer them to another department or terminate their employment.

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One of the factors that public sector human resource management deals with is the issue of diversity in the workplace. Diversity is a wide subject matter that seeks to address the various differences among workers, which may include differences in race, sexual orientation, gender and nationality. The purpose in managing diversity is to make sure the minorities are not marginalized or discriminated against, which can be eliminated through representative employment. For instance, the human resources department of a company might seek to ensure that there are enough women employees at the management level in order to establish equitable employment. Ignoring such issues might lead to allegations of discrimination and unwanted publicity, loss of time, and loss of revenue resulting from lawsuits.

Another issue handled by public sector human resource management is the supervision of employee grievances. This responsibility involves functioning as a go-between for the employees and management of a company in terms of handling any complaints in a diplomatic and effective manner with the aim of preventing the escalation of such disputes. For example, in the case of a demand from labor unions, the human resources department is usually the first level of contact with the management of a company. Public sector human resources management also handles the welfare of employees and the provision of incentives to help increase their overall productivity.

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